The Best Portable Heaters to Heat a Sunroom

Sean Russell

The sunroom provides a year round area for reflection, reading and peace. Still, when winter comes, a sunroom that is not heated can get too cold for comfort, despite the sun streaming in. Several portable space heaters are capable of heating sunrooms during the colder months, and a few can even add to a sunroom's brilliance.

Fan-forced Ceramic Heater

Fan-forced ceramic heaters emit heat from ceramic plates at the end of small metal coils inside the unit. The heat from the plates is directed by a fan that pushes it in a specific direction. Although these types of heaters don't create the high heat levels of a radiator or propane heater, fan-forced ceramic heaters provide a focused, comfortable level of heat in a particular direction. Over time, the heater brings up the temperature of the whole room. These fan-forced units are designed specifically for areas such as small offices or sunrooms and often feature electronic controls that allow the user to change the speed of the fan.

Baseboard Heater

At first glance, electric baseboard heaters appear similar to their gas counterparts that radiate heat from hot water pipes near the baseboard. In fact, electric baseboard heaters are designed to emit heat from electrical heating coils and are often just as portable as other portable space heaters while retaining the low profile design of the original baseboard heater. These types of heaters operate continuously and, although not powerful enough to warm a large room on their own, are designed to warm small rooms quickly and evenly.

Tabletop

Tabletop heaters come in both gas and electric varieties, although only the electric should be used indoors. This type of heater is designed to look like a lamp and is much less conspicuous than a lumbering heating tower or small electric coil grill. Additionally, having the heater on a nearby table ensures the user will receive heat faster than the rest of the room. Tabletop lamp style heaters usually have controls mounted on their casing.

Electric Fireplace

Although less portable than the tabletop or fan-forced ceramic heater, many electric fireplaces feature a portable space heater that heats the room while providing the appearance of an actual fire. With the electric fireplace, a sunroom can retain an elegant appearance with a warming fireplace that includes a decorative mantel that can be moved to anywhere in the room.